After spending the past couple of weeks in survival mode, and then maybe in some form of chill-out mode, it's back to party time. But now, gone is the rigidity of Thanksgiving, with its accompanying fretting and family drama. Now it's about cruising through the holiday shopping, dropping off the bags at home, dressing up and heading out for cocktails.

This festive mood is alive in this week's food pages, which have provided us with ideas for party food and suggestions for edible gifts.

If you want to give the gift of food, the options are, according to the L.A. Times, "more delicious than ever" -- especially if you order things online. Ham, cheese, fish, bonbons -- there is something for every eater you know on this terrific list. Clip 'n' save!

The New York Times's version of the same sort of holiday gift list is divided into "sweet," "savory" and "accessories," and it really is a decadent buy-through-the-Web list. Vidalia onion dip, pimiento cheese spread, smoked duck breast ... oh my. For dessert: salty oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies, and Jeni Splendid ice cream, in "offbeat" flavors like thai chili and salty caramel. The pear riesling sorbet sounds wonderful too.

Hoping to make "All-American charcuterie," this West Virginia fellow left the business world to become a hog farmer in Appalachia. We learn about his pigs in The Washington Post, who "roam 50 acres of forest and flat valleys" and nosh on "rape, barley, sunflowers and pumpkins. In the fall, the pigs forage for acorns and hickory nuts that give the meat, and the fat, an intense, woodsy flavor."

Continuing with meaty treats, there's a "Good Appetite" column about bacon-y goodness -- but it's sugared bacon. Baked bacon, with sugar. Served with spicy nuts. Wow. A flavor explosion probably best paired with a drink; N.Y. Times writer Melissa Clark recommends a rye Manhattan.

Echoing last week's New York Times piece on easy-bake bread, The Washington Post comes up with a guide to "bread made easy." Fast-rising yeast, slow-rise, no-knead -- there are all kinds of techniques to try, and "a variety of excellent and easy home-style breads, including the all-purpose light wheat loaf, cinnamon-raisin bread (great for toast!), butter rolls and hearty caraway-beer loaf. Home-baked bread and pot of good soup can be perfect food for a small winter gathering.

If latkes are part of your holiday celebration, and since Hannukah starts next Tuesday at sundown, this is a nice 'n' easy way to make these tasty potato pancakes, from the L.A. Times. Frozen hash browns eliminate a huge prep-step, and they seem to work well texture-wise.

Hot Plates's gardening expert says "people either love or hate" parsnips, and the L.A. Times's farmer's market "peaking" feature explains this oft-forgotten winter root vegetable for the uninitiated. This short article, titled "Just chillin with parsnips and kale," also includes a mini-primer on "dark green, red-stemmed Russian kale," which it says is the sweetest and tastiest of its kind.

As The Dallas Morning News points out, tangerines of all stripes are out in force. Besides eating them in place of Halloween candy after dinner, there is another way to incorporate their sweet tang: Cook up some spicy tangerine beef "as an antidote to the typical seasonal fare we encounter at this time of year." Could be a fun thing to make with friends (and many bottles of good red wine) on a staying-in Friday night.

To leave you all on a clean, pure note -- at least til tomorrow -- we'll include a link to this article on water in the N.Y. Times. True, this is not about food or cooking, but water in bottles is a gourmet item these days. Anyhow, roll your eyes if you must, but these people are out there -- in more ways than one -- and maybe their magic is working for somebody. “So many people have e-mailed me to tell me they can feel the energy flowing through them when they drink the water,” one producer of spring water said. Another product, Liquid OM Water, has been "frequency enhanced by a certified sound therapist." No worries if this stuff isn't your bag; Hot Plates digs your vibes anyway.